Meet the $1.6 Million Tactical Hoodie That Broke Kickstarter

Doubles as a pillow. And other, more useful stuff.

October 12, 2016 9:00 am

“Couldn’t you just ball it up and make it a pillow?”

The response of what InsideHook staffer upong seeing the ADV3NTURE Hoodie, a Kickstarter sensation that sells itself on a multitude of pockets and 14 features, including “pillow conversion.”

Observe:

Look, we dig hoodies. They’re the most versatile outerwear you can own during unpredictable seasons (spring, fall). They layer well. And they’re starting to come into their own, style-wise.

But do we need a hoodie that turns into a makeshift pillow?

Apparently, yes. Having raised over $1.6 million during its month-long crowdfunding campaign — the most ever for a fashion project on Kickstarter — ADV3NTURE is the brainchild of TV host/entrepreneur Zane Lamprey, who had previous KS success with his multifaceted Drinking Jacket. Similar idea here: take a run-of-the-mill piece of outerwear, and hide a number of semi-useful features throughout.

“Creating the perfect hoodie isn’t about adding features and pockets to a normal hoodie and calling it the best in the world,” Lamprey says on the campaign page (we disagree).

Those features, ranked:

1. Sunglass holder (better than a pocket)
2. Underarm vents
3. Extra-soft hood lining
4. Oversized hood
5. Adjustable hood snaps
6. Reflective cabling
7. Foldable gloves
8. Beverage grips
9. Bottle-opener zipper
10. Ventilation zipper
11. Drawstrings
12. Reflective logo
13. Pillow conversion
14. Return home feature (aka luggage tag; it’s a luggage tag)

Overall, some good stuff, a few things that stretch the word “feature” (drawstrings … yeah, we know about those). But, in a style sense, we do like the contrasting zipper, and the dark herringbone version is particularly suave (your correspondent just bought the last one). And the dedicated passport pocket (one of nine in toto) is a nice touch. Plus, the all-weather jacket version — an already-achieved stretch goal — seems like a great winter coat.

Overall, best to think of this as your airport coat.

“My goal, over the past two years, has been to create a hoodie that is something that people can wear every day, and that is especially suited for travel,” says Lamprey.

If you’re interested, the Kickstarter ends today.

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.